[WORLD CUP 2014 QUALIFYING ... Concacaf] The USA didn't get the win it was looking for in Guatemala, but it got a break in the other Group A match in Concacaf
World Cup 2014 qualifying as tiny Antigua & Barbuda took two points from Jamaica with a 0-0 tie in St. John. The results left the Americans ahead of Jamaica in Group A on goal difference. Mexico
and Panama lead the other two groups after recording their second straight wins. For all the action from Concacaf ...

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA-JAMAICA (0-0).
The Benna Boys again showed they won't be pushovers in Group A and could have won their first home game with a little luck. The result is a disappointment for Tappa Whitmore's Reggae Boyz, who started four MLS players. Jamaica may need to get a result in one of its other road games against the USA or Guatemala to advance.

EL SALVADOR-MEXICO (1-2). La Selecta is much improved, as evidenced by its 2-2 tie at Costa Rica in its opener, and it was a little unlucky not to hold Mexico even. The
Tri won when Hector Moreno's header rebounded off his head and into the goal in the 82nd minute.

GUYANA-COSTA RICA
(0-4). Real Salt Lake's Alvaro Saborio scored a hat trick to lead the Ticos to a big win in Georgetown. Arsenal teenager Joel Campbell had the fourth goal for Costa Rica, which now sits in second place in Group B behind Mexico.

CANADA-HONDURAS (0-0).
Scoring woes will be Canada's undoing if it doesn't advance. They are the Catrachos' problem at the moment. They are scoreless in two games.

PANAMA-CUBA (1-0). Nelson Barahona's goal gave the Canaleros their second straight shutout win. Cuba, by contrast, has two shutout losses.

Note: None of the four U.S. goals have been scored by MLS players, but Saborio's three goals raise to eight (out of 24) the number of goals MLS
players have scored for other teams.

What you don’t mention about ES-Mexico is that Moreno was clealy offside on the play in which he scored the winner. Of course before the Salvadoreans complain too much (as they are today), they need to remember that they only got a point in San Jose was because the ref disallowed a legitimate Costa Rican goal in the last minute of that game. It’s a case of the refs giving you a point in one game and then taking it away in the next. The net loser in this exchange are the Ticos, not the Salvadoreans.

Also, after watching both ES games, I think they are actually weaker than 4 years ago. They were pretty much overrun for large portions of the game in San Jose, only surviving because the Ticos wasted at least half a dozen clear cut easy goals (Sabo alone was responsible for 3 glaring misses) and the Ticos then gifted them with two goals on defensive giveaways pretty much the only times ES created any danger. And unlike 4 years ago when they dominated Mexico at home, this time the Mexicans had the better chances overall. What I find particularly disappointing about this ES team is rather than the free flowing soccer that they sometimes played under De los Cobos, their main strategy now seems to be systematically fouling their opponent’s most dangerous players, but doing so in a way that tries to avoid cards. They took turns grabbing and shoving Campbell for the entire game in San Jose and what they did last night to Guardado was even worse. They were so blatant in the way they were repeatedly kicking and elbowing him that the disgusted Mexican coach finally subbed him out to avoid a more serious injury. The unfortunate thing is that ES is likely to get away with this as long as Concacaf refs are so lenient about carding repeated (rather than overly violent)fouling.

CONCACAF Officials are not very strong to start with and not at all fair and balanced. They are outright hostile to the US in all cases. Racist? Maybe, but over half our team is Hispanic. Perhaps they just hate our imperialistic militaristic past.

Well, I don't think they pick on the US in particular. After all, neither of the two most serious ref errors so far in this group round involved the US at all (CR disallowed goal against ES and Mexico's allowed goal against ES). It wasn't even a case of home team bias, as both of those errors favored the visitors. I just think Concacaf officials (and linesmen in particular) can be very poor.